Pocono Wednesday Midday: Storm or flop of the decade?

Wednesday

Feb 24, 2010 at 1:02 PMFeb 24, 2010 at 2:43 PM

Tropical storm-strength winds. Widespread downed trees and wires. Power outages lasting for days. Whiteout conditions. A hurricane-like snowstorm. Are all of these things in our future? Well, AccuWeather seems to think so, but the National Weather Service is taking a much more cautious approach to the pending storm.

Tropical storm-strength winds. Widespread downed trees and wires. Power outages lasting for days. Whiteout conditions. A hurricane-like snowstorm. Are all of these things in our future? Well, AccuWeather seems to think so, but the National Weather Service is taking a much more cautious approach to the pending storm that will hit the Northeast beginning tomorrow, predicting a run-of-the-mill winter weather event.

So, will the Poconos be sent back to the stone ages, or will we all look back and wonder what the big fuss was about? As of now, the only thing we can say is this: a Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for the area through Friday evening.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for all the latest with our Winter Storm Center. There you can find the latest forecast, cancellations and road conditions. And if you haven't already, don't forget to sign up for our severe weather text alerts.

Now, forget about what's going to happen later this week; the Poconos is still dealing with the aftermath of last night's surprise storm. Anywhere between 5 and 11 inches fell throughout the region, with the higher snowfall totals to the east and north.

The wet, heavy snow led to a slew of downed trees and power lines, and the treacherous road conditions led to numerous stranded vehicles and accidents.

Sadly, one of those accidents was fatal – an East Stroudsburg woman and boy are dead, and a man is in critical condition, after their vehicle rolled over and hit a tree on Interstate 80 in Carbon County late yesterday afternoon.

The four school districts are all closed today – will students get a five day weekend?

We also want to hear what your pet peeve about driving in the snow is. So far our responses have included fast drivers, slow drivers and PennDOT.

Despite the snow, there is still other news going on. The bishop-elect of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton happens to have ties to the Stroudsburg area.

The Frazetta family feud continues: Now a notary has testified in a deposition that the son of famed fantasy artist Frank Frazetta Sr. pleaded for his son Frank Jr.'s help in protecting his multimillion-dollar collection before Frank Jr.'s arrest for allegedly stealing the paintings.

Here's an electric shocker: A Stroudsburg bazaar owner discovered a bizarre problem after receiving a $2,000 electric bill despite only being open for a few days. It turns out he's paying for part of his neighbors' electricity. Now those neighbors – ShopRite and RiteAid – say it's not their problem and Met Ed is threatening to shut off his electricity.

An East Stroudsburg man and cook at the Shawnee Academy in Smithfield Township has been charged with having indecent contact with a 17-year-old female student at the school.

PopRoxOne hit TV show is in jeopardy of being shut down for the rest of the season, but another gets some good news and will film the rest of its year. Find out what they are at PopRox.

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